MICROWAVE SPECTROSCOPY OF THE HEAVY-ATOM CARBENE ANALOGS: HSiI and DSiI

Author Institution: Department of Natural Sciences, Union College, Barbourville, KY 40906; Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506; Department of Chemistry, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459The pure rotational spectra of 6 silicon isotopologues, of HSiI and of DSiI have been recorded in natural abundance by pulsed-jet Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) spectroscopy. Neon was passed over dry ice cooled H$_3$SiI or D$_3$SiI and introduced into the pulsed valve of the FTMW spectrometer. The HSiI and the DSiI were produced in-situ with a 1000 V DC-discharge nozzle. Only $a$-type transitions can be observed from 6 - 26 GHz; $K_a$ = 0 transitions for the HSiI and $K_a$ = 0 and 1 transitions for the DSiI isotopologues. All observed transitions were assigned unambiguously. The molecular structure and chemical bonding of this heavy atom carbene will be discussed